1999 Heckler - worth upgrading or not?

Hi all,

I have a 1999 Heckler which is the old school design, like the superlight. It has about 4" of travel front and rear and is pretty much stock, Avid V brakes and all. The bike rides well and is a genuine classic.

My question is - can the bike be upgraded to new fork and shock? Would anything even fit the frame these days. If it did, is it worth the money?

First, let me say that I love the old Hecklers. The frame is what got me into Santa Cruz in the first place back in 99. However... I'd say it's not worth upgrading.

By the time you replace everything with modern components, you're going to have an old bike with modern stuff on it. You may have trouble with some areas, for example... those years didn't have disc brakes, right?

Retail on a new shock is going to be around $250-300 and then you may want to have it tuned for the old frame.